The sport of judo is starting to make waves in Saskatchewan, and the Moose
Jaw Koseikan Judo club is right on the crest of it’s development.

Long known as a martial art which focuses on throwing and grappling your
opponent into submission, judo — which, when translated from it’s Japanese
origin, literally means ‘the gentle way’ — has started to attract attention
throughout Canada as an athletic endeavour.

One of the major reasons for that is the massive exposure judo has received
at the Olympic Games. The success of Canadian judo player Nicolas Gill, a
bronze medalist at the Barcelona Games, only helped to raise the bar of
recognition.

But while the rest of Canada has been gradually climbing on the judo
bandwagon, Saskatchewan has been relatively slow to develop. That’s
something which the province’s high performance coach, Ewan Beaton, thinks
could easily change in the near future.

“You look at our clubs on the provincial scene and you’ll see we already
have some very strong players, even though there isn’t a large number of
people taking part in the sport,” he said.

“I think that shows what could happen if there was more development, with
more people taking it up at a competitive level.”

Beaton, who was in Moose Jaw to scout the third Koseikan Invitational Judo
tournament, has the credentials to back up his claims.

A fourth-degree black belt, Beaton, 29, has competed for Canada at two
Olympic Games, finishing ninth in Barcelona. He has also won five national
championships in the under-60 kilogram category and has enjoyed high
placings at several top-level international competitions.

With his depth of experience, Beaton has seen many successful clubs in
other countries. He looks at Moose Jaw and the Koseikan club’s relatively
youthful base and he sees the potential for a serious leader in the sport.

“You look at what this club has done in the last few years, it’s amazing.
They only had something like eight members a couple years ago and now
they’re up around 60 or 70. Plus, they’re the first club in the province to
find themselves a corporate sponsor (Investors Group recently signed on),
which could really help them develop even further,” Beaton said.

Cliff Wiens, one of the men most responsible for the renewed success of the
local club, points to the number of young rising stars in the club as one of
it’s reasons for success.

“You look at Kailey (Large) and Stephanie (Legault), how much success
they’re having, and they haven’t been in judo that long,” he said. “We have
a lot of younger players, seven and eight year olds, who are going to be
very, very good. As they improve and become successful, I’m sure there will
be even more interest.”

As with any sport, one of the best ways to improve in judo is through
competition, something the Koseikan club is very involved with. The
Invitational attracted more than 120 competitors from throughout the
province, of all degrees of ability.

As a result, it has become one of the largest tournaments in the province
in only three years of existence.

“Competing can make a big difference in the development of a judoka. It
gives you a chance to test your skills and see where you stand in relation
to other players, as well as showing you what you need to work on,” Beaton
said.

“There’s no question the more tournaments we have in the province, the
better it will be for the development of the sport.”

While the sport aspect of judo is what many clubs are focusing on, the fact
remains it is a martial art first, something most clubs still keep as a
major part of their training.

“Judo is a very difficult to learn and at the same time anyone from eight
to 80 can take part in it. And like any martial art, it develops many traits
you can use in everyday life. It has many, many benefits both as a sport and
a martial art,” he said.

“As long as it continues to have a lot to offer to those who practice it, I
think judo will continue to grow and gain recognition.”

Moose Jaw Koseikan Judo Club results from the Moose Jaw Koseikan
Invitational Judo tournament, held during the weekend at Central collegiate.